Category: Paintings that Inspired the Poems

Three mischievous monkeys perch on a roof in this large surrealistic scene painted by my mother, Louise Craven Hourrigan. I love imagining their gossipy conversation.

When assigned to paint a self-portrait for one of her art classes, my mother made this nightmarish collage. A serpent, fabric patterns, flames, and octopus

My mother filled this enormous canvas with sins. Even the balloons have naughty details! Her painting inspired a poem that appears in Of Burgers &

My mother painted this before I was born, and for many years it hung in my bedroom, giving me nightmares. To exorcise my demons, I

Inspired by Frida Kahlo, my mother painted this surreal tree of life candelabra. The branches resemble intestines decorated with miniature figures from her past —